-The Hindu As the world observed World Water Day last week, Bolivian water activist Pablo Solon narrates how his countrymen forced the repeal of a water privatisation attempt by the government What began as an ordinary citizen’s protest against water privatisation laid out the path for a bigger revolution that eventually paved way for Bolivia’s first indigenously elected government. With worldwide discussions for sustainable management of fresh water resources gaining ground in a...

-Live Mint HRD minister Pallam Raju says focus should be on helping students access content, not on hardware The government seems to have virtually given up onAakash, the $35 tablet computer that was once billed as India's low-cost solution for bridging the divide between digital haves and have-nots. "Let's not get obsessed with hardware," human resource development (HRD) minister M.M. Pallam Raju said on Friday. "The overall (issue) is how we enable students....

-Live Mint HRD minister says government will push for the fulfilment of RTE's conditions even after deadline ends A week before the implementation deadline for its flagship Right to Education (RTE) Act expires, the government on Friday accepted that it had failed to achieve many of the targets of what it envisaged as a landmark measure. At least 13 states have written to the human resource development (HRD) ministry for an extension owing...

-The Hindu   Efforts by the Pollution Control Board to improve groundwater Quality in Ghaziabad have proved futile so far The contamination of groundwater in and around Ghaziabad's industrial areas has become a cause of concern, apart from reports of its fast deteriorating air Quality. All remediation efforts to improve the groundwater Quality have so far been futile, say residents of the area. Efforts by an expert committee set up by the Uttar Pradesh...

-Live Mint Research conducted in 10 European cities; results comparable to the burden associated with passive smoking Exposure to vehicular pollution near busy roads is responsible for 14% of chronic childhood asthma cases, according to a new research conducted in 10 European cities. The results are comparable to the burden associated with passive smoking which, the World Health Organization estimates, causes between 4% and 18% of asthma cases in children. The study was...